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BOSS Over Drive OD-3
List: $190
The BOSS brand name is perhaps many players’ initial episode in the stompbox encounter. In fact, it is the very brand name which is recommended by our peers & us to others alike. What made this array of effect units so successful & preferred are simply the likeable tone & utmost reliability. It is no wonder that this Roland by product has been around quite some time, more than 25 years in fact…
The yellow article on review here is BOSS’ latest overdrive unit, the OD-3. The fact that it’s a ‘3’ alludes to the manufacturer’s third incarnation of this drive type. In fact, BOSS came full circle with it; starting off with a basic drive offering, the OD-1, moving on to an accentuated Turbo Overdrive unit, the OD-2 & finally, back to simplicity with the OD-3. Noting how the OD-3 was brought back down to earth by virtue of its simple layout & a more restrained voicing, it is actually aiming squarely at that immortal, green, Ibanez overdrive unit, the Tubescreamer. Could this very well be a TS killer finally unleashed?
Build
If you are familiar with a typical BOSS pedal, there shouldn’t be any issues with the build; its armour grade housing, FET footswitch & that black screw battery access is a compound formula that works. Nothing has changed so we can thank BOSS for the perpetuated familiarity.
Rating: 95%
Features
As per above allusion, this pedal mimics the features & layout of its archrival, Ibanez’s TS9. The basic trio of tonal manipulation knobs is an epitome of simplicity; it worked for the TS9 & BOSS has wisely adapted accordingly- yes, it’s not a mere duplicate, unlike the TS9, the OD-3 has the Drive control on the right (Level on the left).
Rating: 95%
Tone
If you think BOSS has a secret tonal chip inserted in this yellow ditty (come on BOSS, what’s your take on the TA75558?!), be informed that none are offered. In lieu of this component’s absence, the manufacturer has opted for a cascading gain circuitry. In use, the drive response is expansive; from very mild to a thick sumptuous output. The intensity here isn’t anywhere near a metal-type distortion but it offers a comprehensive masking of the pickups’ inherent voicing but nothing too overpowering. The employment of the cascading circuitry also results in a healthy dose of sustain, unlike that of the TS9. Jazzers looking for that little bit of note extension for their single coil units would appreciate this attribute. It is also noted that at upper level settings the OD-3 sounds a little choked, attributable to the internal compression.
As a stand alone pedal, the OD-3 would please those of us looking for a mild but pleasant drive. Unlike theTS9’s eminently smooth midrange response, a quick tone tweak reveals a throatier midrange in the OD-3. This would certainly appease players who get too frustrated with the TS9 owing to a lack of definition when it is activated. Nevertheless, there would be TS9 aficionados here who would deem the more pronounced midrange to be too nasal in certain settings, especially when the OD-3 is appointed as a booster.
Due to the unobtrusive nature of the OD-3, its use as a drive type booster is inevitable. This pedal makes a great pusher of intense type distortion under restrained settings. The OD-3’s upper drive performance however, prevents it from manifesting an overall clarity, blame it on the rather grainy definition; so there is an upper hand in owning the soft-spoken TS9 after all.
Tone test equipment:
• Amps: Ibanez ValBee/ Ibanez Toneblaster X 30R/ Randall RG75/ Roland Micro CUBE
• Guitars in use: ESP Eclipse II/ Fender Highway 1 Strat/ Gibson LP Std/ Edwards E-LP 85SD/P/ Ibanez RG321/ Ibanez SA2020/ Ibanez Artcore TM70/ Cort KX Custom/ Epiphone LP Ultra
• The OD-3 was used to boost the following pedals: Danelectro Black Coffee/ EHX NANO Metal Muff/ EHX Little Big Muff/ Seymour Duncan Tweak Fuzz/ BOSS DS-1/ Carl Martin Crush Zone in addition to the crunch/ drive channels of the above-mentioned amps
Rating: 85%
Conclusion
Is the OD-3 the effective eliminator of Ibanez’s Tubescreamer? Not yet; the pedal wasn’t conceived to be a TS9 carbon copy. In use, it is tonally different from the latter pedal. The OD-3 doesn’t quite possess that slick midrange which is the TS9 forte. Forgive this review for being a head-to-head comparison between these pedals but the similar output objective was rather glaring. The OD-3 is for those of us out there who think the TS9 is a little too wimpy drive-wise. As a crude calibration, the OD-3’s voicing sits between the TS9 & its BOSS brother, the Blues Driver (BD-2).
All in all, the OD-3 is an apt take on the popular TS9 but an absolute replacement it is not.
Overall rating: 89%
Likes:
• Wide drive sweep
• Build
Dislikes:
• Nasal voicing on certain settings
Worthy competitors:
• Ibanez TS9
• Maxxon OD9
• Digitech Tone Driver
• Behringer Tube Overdrive TO100
